For decades, Mumbai has introduced itself to the world through the glittering arc of Marine Drive, the Queen’s Necklace. Now, the city is attempting something far more ambitious, and that is stitching a 70-hectare stretch of reclaimed coastline into what they are calling a “Green Necklace,” a continuous public landscape running from Priyadarshini Park near Nepean Sea Road through Mahalaxmi and Haji Ali to Worli.
What Is Mumbai’s 70-Hectare Green Necklace Coastal Road Project?
According to Hindustan Times, the proposal, showcased at a citizens’ dialogue organised by the South Mumbai Residents Association, marks the first large-scale public presentation of the Coastal Road Gardens plan after the BMC elections. Around 300 residents from Colaba to Worli attended the session. The project, estimated at ₹400 crore, is being undertaken by Reliance Industries Ltd under its CSR initiative, in coordination with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The work has not yet commenced.
The numbers are precise and deliberate. Of the 70 hectares, 55% is earmarked for forests and wooded areas. Another 25% will be open recreational grounds. Pathways and plazas account for 10% each, leaving nearly 80% of the site as softscape. In a city where hard concrete routinely wins, that ratio alone signals intent.
Urban planner Shivam Jumani, part of the core team, framed the vision in distinctly Mumbai terms. The city already has a waterfront icon in Marine Drive, he said, questioning whether this emerging green corridor could become its ecological counterpart, a defining public landscape rather than just reclaimed land.
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All You Need To Know About This Project
Nearly 60,000 trees are proposed, particularly across the wider southern stretches. The planting strategy avoids ornamental imports. Instead, it leans into native coastal species capable of surviving salt spray, saline soil and high winds, effectively recreating a coastal moist forest system. Sustainability, from irrigation systems to material choices, has been embedded into the design brief rather than added as an afterthought.
The draft concept outlines seven access points: Napean Sea Road, Breach Candy, Haji Ali, Mahalaxmi, Worli South and Worli North, among them. Facilities are distributed rather than concentrated. Sports clusters are planned near Nepean Sea Road and under the Haji Ali flyover, where shade already exists, with additional pockets in Worli. Proposed amenities include pickleball, padel, basketball and badminton courts, outdoor gyms, fitness pods, children’s play areas and social gardens with seating and game tables.
At the southern end near Bhulabhai Desai Road, dense forestry will be interspersed with elevated decks and beach-facing zones. Miyawaki micro-forests and a bird trail aim to increase biodiversity. Amphitheatres, art installations and sunset viewing galleries are included, and near Mahalaxmi Race Course, a large public plaza will sit above an underground parking facility for 1,200 cars. At the Worli edge, plans mention kiosks, food trucks, a mela-style festival plaza and even a Ferris wheel overlooking the Arabian Sea, as stated by Hindustan Times.
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If executed as presented, the Coastal Road Gardens would not merely soften the reclaimed edge, they would attempt to redefine how Mumbai occupies it.
Cover Image Courtesy: vishwagurubhar/x
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